Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Merlot 2021, Red Stone Vineyard, Hawkes Bay

A bold and expressive bouquet of roasted plums and black cherry, chocolate and five-spice, new leather and barrel smoke. Weighty and dry, inky rich dark fruit flavours invade the palate first, they are concentrated and quite intense. Flavours of roasted dark fruits of plum and black cherry return along with chocolate and spice. Tannins are polished, smooth, connected and in abundance. Acidity holds all the attributes together. I do not the warming effects of the alcohol yet the concentration of fruit and shear power of this wine manages this rather well. Dry and lengthy, the tannins leave a coating on the palate that I expect will dissolve into the wine given time. Best drinking from 2026 through 2036.

94 Points

Excellent

RRP from $120.00

Tasted from bottle 0487

Opaque appearance, almost black purple at the core, some pink hues at the rim and distinctive colour staining of the tears.